CDSS Programs Community Care Licensing Children's Residential Public Info and Policies

About Children's Residential Program  

Children's Residential Program Mission

The core mission of the Children's Residential Program is to protect and improve the lives of all youth who reside in a community care facility through the administration of a transparent licensing system that is collaborative, fair, and supportive of families. 

Vision

To approve, license, and guide caregivers who can provide Quality Parenting and Core Services to children through Technical Assistance and Support, from the Children’s Residential Program and its counterparts, that inspires and motivates successful residential treatment and permanency of children. 

Public Information and Policies  

Community Care Licensing is a regulatory enforcement program that has a mission to protect the health and safety of children within our facilities.  The program consists of three distinct functions: PREVENTION, COMPLIANCE, AND ENFORCEMENT.

Prevention is used to reduce predictable harm by screening out unqualified applicants through the application process, and to assist qualified applicants in the successful completion of the licensing process.  This is done by obtaining the following:

  • Criminal record clearance
  • Financial information
  • Health screening report & tuberculosis test
  • Fire clearance
  • Pre-licensing facility inspection

Compliance is the process which ensures that facilities are operated according to applicable laws and regulations.  This is maintained through:

  • Facility inspections
  • Deficiency notices
  • Providing consultations

Enforcement is only utilized when a licensee fails to protect the health, safety and personal rights of clients in care or is unwilling or unable to maintain compliance with licensing laws and regulations.  The goal of regulatory enforcement is to gain compliance, and revoking a license is an action of last resort.  The enforcement takes many forms, based on the severity of the violation. Some forms of Enforcement can usually result in corrective action:

  • Denial of application for capacity increase (appeal rights)
  • Deficiencies are cited
  • Suspension or revocation of license
  • Civil penalties are assessed
  • Office conferences/noncompliance conferences